ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The Romans have done a great deal for civilisation. Roads, a calendar, an alphabet, indoor plumbing - the list goes on. But it turns out some of their innovations were not so good for us after all....

A study carried out by Dr Piers Mitchell from Cambridge University’s Archaeology and Anthropology Department and published in the journal Parasitology found that the Roman fondness for baths, toilets, and indoor plumbing didn't keep them any cleaner than the barbarians.

Researchers looked at the archeological record, examining coprolites (fossilized poop), combs, and other hygiene artifacts for traces of parasites, evidence of dysentery, and lice. They found after the Romans entered an area, bringing along their baths and toilets, the number of parasites didn't fall. Instead, they grew.

"This latest research on the prevalence of ancient parasites suggests that Roman toilets, sewers and sanitation laws had no clear benefit to public health," said Dr Mitchell. "The widespread nature of both intestinal parasites and ectoparasites such as lice also suggests that Roman public baths surprisingly gave no clear health benefit either."Not only did their baths and toilets encourage disease instead of curing it but their favorite condiment, a fish sauce called garum probably helped spread parasites as well.

"The manufacture of fish sauce and its trade across the empire in sealed jars would have allowed the spread of the fish tapeworm parasite from endemic areas of northern Europe to all people across the empire," Mitchell added. "This appears to be a good example of the negative health consequences of conquering an empire."

However, he concluded: “It seems likely that while Roman sanitation may not have made people any healthier, they would probably have smelt better.”